Sunrise (1927)
"Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" (original title)

A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.

Director:

F.W. Murnau

Writers:

Carl Mayer (scenario), Hermann Sudermann (from an original theme by),

Stars:

George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston

Won 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George O'Brien	...	The Man
Janet Gaynor	...	The Wife
Margaret Livingston	...	The Woman From the City
Bodil Rosing	...	The Maid
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	The Photographer (as J. Farrell McDonald)
Ralph Sipperly	...	The Barber
Jane Winton	...	The Manicure Girl
Arthur Housman	...	The Obtrusive Gentleman
Eddie Boland	...	The Obliging Gentleman

Storyline

In this fable-morality subtitled "A Song of Two Humans", the "evil" temptress is a city woman who bewitches farmer Anses and tries to convince him to murder his neglected wife, Indre.

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Plot Keywords:

city | farmer | love | murder | fireworks | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

4 November 1927 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sunrise

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Movietone) (musical score and sound effects) Silent (alternate version)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die', edited by Steven Jay Schneider.

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Goofs

The number of bottles left on the table after the piglet bumps it changes between shots. There are five bottles when the piglet bumps it, but when the Man comes in and grabs the piglet there are seven bottles on it.

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Quotes

The Man: [pleading to his wife] Don't be afraid of me!

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Connections

Referenced in The Voice of Bergman (1997)

User Reviews

Cinematic Magic Realism

I found this movie at the library the other day and I had to rent it after being aware for the longest time that it's the highest film on the Sight & Sound list that I have not seen yet. After seeing it, can I say that it deserves its honor? … I would say so, it's the polar opposite of modern film and that gets my interest since it reveals so much that cinema has gained and lost in 75 years. It tells a simple story while getting the most out of my reaction…as opposed to movies that utilize technology, over character and story development, even though this is a movie that has time to be showy and flashy with its beautiful city sequences. After seeing Abel Gance's Napoleon, a film from the same era, I would consider this movie on par for its technical angle, which I think is half the selling point for the critic's circles. It employs a magic realism that you will not find in any modern film today, a movie where you don't care if it takes them a minute to travel from the forest to the city….